There is no playbook for finding out your husband is a rapist, after being married for twelve years and having a daughter together.
But there’s something about Bijou Phillips, wife of fellow Scientologist and star of That 70s Show Danny Masterson, that’s not quite adding up.
Twelve days after Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the rape of two women in the early 2000s, Phillips finally filed for divorce.
It came as a shock to many following the case because Phillips had spent the last six years standing by his side — Masterson was first accused in 2017 and charged in 2020.
In fact, Phillips didn't just play the run-of-the-mill dutiful wife, she went above and beyond: kissing Masterson while on a trial lunch break, walking arm-in-arm with him into court, penning a desperate letter to the judge begging for leniency in his sentencing, saying she ‘can’t accept’ that her husband is a rapist, that ‘the man I married has only been an extraordinary husband to me and a devoted father to our daughter’.
Something about Bijou Phillips, wife of fellow Scientologist and star of That 70s Show Danny Masterson, is not quite adding up. (Pictured: Couple walking arm-in-arm into court in May).
Twelve days after Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the rape of two women in the early 2000s, Phillips finally filed for divorce. It came as a shock to many following the case because Phillips had spent the last six years standing by his side. (Pictured: Phillips last week without her wedding ring).
Last week, sources close to Bijou gave DailyMail.com exclusive insight into the sudden change of heart:
‘Recently friends and family have told [Bijou] to be a mom first and to consider divorce because it really shows her daughter that eventually people need to be held accountable for what they do, even if it is someone they love.’
Sounds about right. Though I’m not sure why it took nearly two weeks and a host of loved ones to get her to this obvious conclusion about her rapist husband.
But, before we declare her mom of the century, read on…
Bijou is also seeking to ‘protect her assets and protect her future’.
‘She doesn't want to lose money and land and housing over a future civil lawsuit against Danny,’ the source said.
Ah! There we have it, monetary incentives. Though, in all fairness, nobody can blame a mother for seeking to shore up her child's future financial security.
But wait, there’s more…
'Bijou will never say anything negative about Danny's parenting skills, he is incredible in that department,’ the source added. ‘Bijou loves Danny, always will, and really hopes that his sentence is eventually lessened and or reversed.'
What?
It’s this flurry of inconsistencies that proves to me Team Bijou has shot an epic misfire.
There are so many questions.
Does Bijou truly want to teach her 9-year-old a vitally important lesson, that even once-beloved fathers and high-powered TV stars have to be punished accordingly, rightfully cut off for crimes as disgusting as Masterson’s violent rapes?
Last week, a source close to Bijou said she is now divorcing Masterson because it 'shows her daughter that eventually people need to be held accountable for what they do’. Yet the source also said: 'Bijou loves Danny, always will, and really hopes that his sentence is eventually lessened and or reversed.'
It’s this flurry of inconsistencies that proves to me Team Bijou has shot an epic misfire. There are so many questions. Does she truly want to teach her 9-year-old a vitally important lesson, that even once-beloved fathers and high-powered TV stars must be punished for crimes as disgusting as Masterson’s violent rape - or not?
Or does she believe his 30-years sentence — for the assault of women he had drugged — is too harsh or even unjust? That such a man is an 'incredible' exemplar of fatherhood?
What sort of lesson would that teach young girls?
On Saturday we discovered another piece of this bizarre puzzle. For it has now been revealed that Bijou’s divorce papers claim she and Masterson have been living apart for the past five years — and that their daughter has resided solely with Bijou in Santa Ynez, California.
This begs another question, then, after the steadfast public loyalty, the letter to the judge, the final kiss Masterson blew to a weeping Bijou as he was hauled away after sentencing, the reports that she was left feeling as if she was ‘grieving a death’… was it all an act?
Sources close to Bijou also claimed after the trial that she was a ‘shell of her former self… trying to figure out life and what it will be like for her’ now that she isn't able ‘to be with Danny the way they were.’
The way they were? Hadn’t they been living apart for the last five years?
The trustworthiness of Bijou’s divorce filing is surely on shaky ground.
Masterson's last Instagram post in October 2022 might provide some elucidation.
In the post he gushed about his joy at ‘coming home’ to his ‘3 perfect ladies’ (Bijou, their daughter and his dog) after just a few days away in LA.
Coming home, or coming to visit your estranged wife and daughter?
Will the real Bijou Phillips please stand up?
For while her PR machine is clearly working overtime to solidify her image as the GOOD MOM, the dutiful wife taking the moral high ground despite it all, I can’t help but feel that his stew of Team Bijou briefings really doesn’t add up.
Bijou’s divorce papers also claim she and Masterson have been living apart for the past five years. This begs another question, then, after the steadfast public loyalty, the final kiss Masterson blew to a weeping Bijou as he was hauled away after sentencing (pictured), the reports that she was left feeling as if she was ‘grieving a death’… was it all an act?
Masterson's last Instagram post in October 2022 (pictured) might provide some elucidation. In the post he gushed about his joy at ‘coming home’ to his ‘3 perfect ladies’ (Bijou, their daughter and his dog) after just a few days away in LA. Coming home, or coming to visit your estranged wife and daughter? Will the real Bijou Phillips please stand up?
‘Bijou's only positive outlook on things stems from her trust in Danny and the appeal process.... she completely trusts he never did what he was charged for... she is looking to the appeal process for justice to be served,’ sources also told DailyMail.com Saturday.
Yet this is a woman who sat and listened in court to the hideous, visceral testimonies of Masterson's victims.
‘Jane Doe 1’ testified she was raped by the star at his house in 2003, that he gave her something to drink before throwing her into his jacuzzi, where she said her vision went blurry.
Later, he shoved his fingers down her throat to make her vomit before dragging her into his shower and forcibly soaping her breasts. She punched him but couldn’t fight back. He then took her to his bed, smothered her with a pillow until she fell unconscious and raped her.
At one point, Masterson pulled a gun from his nightstand, telling her to ‘shut the f*** up’ as he threatened her with the weapon.
You’d be hard pushed to find a more horrific tale.
And while we can sympathize with the mother of Masterson’s child, and the difficulty of hearing and accepting such vile acts, Bijou urgently needs to provide some clarity on where she now stands.
Yes, this is devastating for all the lives Masterson has ruined — but his victims and their loved ones must be the priority. And, perhaps, Bijou and Danny's young daughter, too — who will now grow up without a father, and with a mother who seems perilously close to a detrimental obsession with her public persona.
Bijou owes it to them to tell the truth and let this sick, sadistic saga finally end.
